Shoe-fastening means



SHOE FASTENING MEANS Filed Aug. 4, 1924 Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE-FASTENING MEANS.

Application filed August 4, 1924. Serial No. 730,027.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED ERNEST FORD, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Ellesmere, Princess Street, Auckland, in the Dominion of New Zealand, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoe-Fastening Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that known form of fastener for shoes formed by va metal bow shaped clip that is made to extend across the opening of the shoe upper and to engage in the eyelets on the respective sides of such upper. One of these clips is provided for each pair of oppositely disposed eyelets and one end of the clip is permanently attached in the eyelet on one side by clinching an inwardly turned or hooked end around the eyelet edge so that it may turn up or down with the said side. The other end is also formed with a short hook and is designed to be passed into its eyelet to engage the edge thereof and to retain its position by reason of the spreading strain exerted upon the shoe upper when the shoe is being worn.

These clips hitherto have been madev with the fixed hook end formed continuously with the main part and of the same width thereas, so that in use, there is a liability of the fastener, by reason of the narrow grip afforded, moving laterally or wobbling or twisting in its length.

The present invention has been devised with the object of provid ng a form or construction of fastener of this nature in which the disadvantages referred to are overcome and a fastener provided that is held firmly and steadily in its fixed position to one side of the shoe upper, so that its engagement with the other side maybe made with certainty and evenly.

The invention therefore consists in form ing the fastener with its fixed hook end bifurcated and bent to provide laterally-distending forks which, when clinched to the shoe upper form an extended grip or base for retaining the fastener in position.

other.

This construction is illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, and

Figure 2 a bottom plan view of the fastener, drawn upon an exaggerated scale.

Figure 3 is a view looking toward the inner surfaces of the flaps showing the manner in which the fastener acts.

A is the fastener, which is made in the usual general bow form and with the inwardly turned long hook B at one end and the inwardly turned short hook C at the In this invention, the said long hook B, which is used for fixing one end of the fastener to one side or flap of the shoe upper, is made with its end bifurcated into forks, b and with such forks laterally distended, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. These forks, in the fixing of the fastener to one flap D of the upper, are, after the hook has been passed down through the eyelet E of such flap, clinched against the inner surface of the flap so that the advantageous results before mentioned are obtained.

I claim A shoe fastener, consisting of a bowshaped metal clip adapted to extend across the opening between the free edges of the two flaps of a shoe upper and having at one end a relatively-long in-turned hook which is bifurcated and bent to form two laterally-distended forks adapted to bepassed through an eyelet in one of the flaps and then permanently clinched against the inner surface of that flap; said clip being provided at its other end with a relatively-short in-turned hook adapted for removable engagement in the corresponding eyelet in the other flap. 7

t In testimony whereof, I afiix my signaure.

ALFRED ERNEST FORD. Witnesses: 7

DAVID BROWN HUTTON, Josnrrr STANLEIGH MoAvEN. 

